Review Recap: The iOS and Mac Games of February 2014

Games are flourishing across all active Apple platforms, and each month brings a bevy of new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch titles, not to mention an ever-growing array of exciting Mac affairs. As a result, we're reviewing more games now than we ever have in the past, and while we hope you're keeping up with our many new weekly content additions, it's possible that some of our recent appraisals didn't catch your eye.

Our monthly recap looks back at the games we reviewed during February, with a total of 18 iOS and Mac games presented here in bite-sized, to-the-point encapsulations. And if you want to see more, simply click the link on each slide to read the full critique and find the link to purchase each game. The App Store produced a pair of 5/5-rated games in February, thanks to the amazing Threes! and Eliss Infinity, but other iOS titles — like redone classic Final Fantasy VI, plus Bug Heroes 2 — also impressed in recent weeks. And on Mac, the month was headlined by the great revival of Tomb Raider, which luckily comes in at a very appealing price.

1 of 18

February Game Reviews

Weeks later, we’re still hooked on Threes! ($2.99, Universal), our favorite new iOS puzzler in a long time. It’s an enrapturing experience — one in which you’ll combine tiles to create multiples of three, and then continue building upwards to maximize your score and extend the game. Play carelessly and you’ll lose quickly. Calculate every move and you’ll taste the exhilaration. (Score: 5.0)

Eliss Infinity ($2.99, Universal) will no doubt be familiar to many early iOS fans, as the original Eliss was one of the first standout touch games on the App Store. New Retina, widescreen, and iPad support are huge perks this time around, but the best addition is the endless Infinity mode, which augments the already-wonderful Odyssey mode’s 25 diverse sectors to conquer. (Score: 5.0)

Marking its 20th anniversary, Super Nintendo role-playing classic Final Fantasy VI ($15.99, Universal) makes the leap to the App Store in mostly fine fashion. The visual overhaul smoothes out the retro edges, but is sadly inconsistent; luckily, that can’t obscure one of the finest RPGs of all time, with rich characters, a great story, and a deep, enthralling quest to tackle. (Score: 4.5)

Licensed games rarely stand on their own merits once the familiar sights and sounds are stripped away, but Adventure Time: Card Wars ($3.99, Universal) thankfully bucks that trend. It’s a rich and smart card-battler with a sizable campaign and lots of intriguing mechanics to learn, plus the ample dose of humor from the popular cartoon only sweetens the experience. (Score: 4.5)

Lara Croft gets a new start in the Tomb Raider ($19.99, Mac) reboot, which stars the fresh-faced young explorer on her first real adventure. Things go south quickly, and we feel every injury and attack as she quickly becomes hardened against vicious threats. It’s gorgeous and intense, even if the game drags later on due a focus on repetitive combat encounters. (Score: 4.0)

We’ll be glad when winter is finally gone, but we don’t mind the fresh powder when it’s digital — like in the great little indie, Dawn of the Plow ($1.99, Universal). This simple, arcade-style game finds you clearing paths for commuters across lo-fi terrain, and allowing snow to pile up or smashing into a car results in your inevitable (and likely quick) downfall. It’s challenging, but charming. (Score: 4.0)

Blasting baddies as Abraham Lincoln and Queen Elizabeth I, among others? Second Chance Heroes (Free, Universal) definitely grabs you with its premise, but thankfully it’s not just a silly concept strapped onto a so-so game. Pummeling zombies, man-eating cheeseburgers, and more is lots of fun, especially when experienced via the online co-op mode. (Score: 4.0)

We may never see Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. fighting series launch on iOS, but Fright Fight (Free, Universal) does a pretty darn good impression. As one of four spooky brawlers, you’ll try to knock enemies from the stage — or simply clear their life meters — and dominate the match. The online showdowns entertain, though the freemium design is a bit restrictive. (Score: 4.0)

It might be incredibly easy on the eyes, but Oquonie ($2.99, Universal) doesn’t make it easy to enjoy its oddball characters and puzzles. The maze you’ll wind through seems intentionally tampered with, while the tasks are unclear; you’ll need serious persistence to see this quest through. Luckily, the stunning illustrations and delightful soundtrack help keep you pushing ahead. (Score: 3.5)

Kahuna ($1.99, Universal) makes its way to the App Store some 16 years after its physical debut, and the iOS version of this board/card game proves solidly enjoyable for two players. You’ll face off in a battle to control various islands by building bridges, with both a single-player campaign and online multiplayer matches available. Great atmosphere is a definite digital perk. (Score: 3.5)

Running a detective agency seems like serious business, but in the light and cartoonish Another Case Solved (Free, Universal), it mainly requires linking up icons on a match-three puzzle board. That part of the game is pretty solid, and improving your office is neat, but the three lesser mini-games you’ll play lose appeal more quickly. It’s free, though, and pretty fun for a while. (Score: 3.5)

Unlike the developer’s own You Don’t Know Jack, freemium puzzler Word Puttz (Free, Universal) isn’t laugh-out-out funny — just odd in its mashed-up premise. You’ll build words from Scrabble-like tiles on a miniature golf green, and use those to create a path to the goal. The novelty takes precedence over the wordplay at times, but it’s still a fun little riff on the word genre. (Score: 3.5)

Breakfast goes utterly bananas in Toast Time ($2.99, Universal), a retro-stylized shoot-‘em-up in which you battle back beasts trying to steal your morning meal — by pelting them with warmed bread. The controls can be a bit finicky, though, and the precision needed to tackle the intense later levels can often be elusive. But it still makes breakfast pretty amusing. (Score: 3.5)

Tengami ($4.99, Universal) captivates with its stunning presentation, taking the form of a Japanese-tinged pop-up book. Locations fold into view in this point-and-click style adventure, with the serene score only accentuating the delight. However, the lack of a story and the oft-stiff interactions lessen its impact, plus it’s very short. Still, it’s worth soaking in for as long as it lasts. (Score: 3.0)

We figured that the combination of John Woo’s cinematic touch and an amazing presentational style would make Chillingo’s Bloodstroke ($2.99, Universal) a surefire iOS smash. Instead, the black, white, and spattered red aesthetic is the only thing we enjoyed, due to awkward controls and an irritatingly over-challenging second half. It comes off as clumsy and careless. (Score: 2.0)

Sure, Marvel Run Jump Smash! (Free, Universal) contains the action promised in its title, but it’s a lot less exciting than you might expect. This side-scrolling runner looks and feels a fair bit like Jetpack Joyride, but lacks that compulsive hook in its dopey sprints. It’s slow and dull, and helpful upgrades and character unlocks seem so far out of reach that real progress seems impossible. (Score: 2.0)

Trolls vs Vikings (Free, Universal) attempts to emulate Plants vs. Zombies’ sweet success, but fails to offer much of a reason not to simply play the real thing. While it introduces a couple of new elements, most of the game feels like a routine copy of Plants vs Zombies 2, albeit with a brutal difficulty curve and frustrating freemium elements. Hardly inspiring stuff! (Score: 2.0)